Leikanger and Hermansverk have grown together into one settlement on the north shore of the Sognefjorden, though locals still use both names. For over 150 years, from 1862 to 2019, this was the administrative capital of Sogn og Fjordane county. When the county merged into Vestland in 2020, Leikanger lost its capital status and became part of the much larger Sogndal municipality.
The area has been settled for at least 4,500 years. According to the sagas, young Harald Fairhair, who would go on to unite Norway, grew up here. The stone church dates from the 13th century.
What you notice today, though, are the fruit trees. More than 80,000 of them, for a population of about 2,250. Leikanger is the biggest fruit village in the Sognefjord area. The municipality's coat of arms is an apple tree branch. The fjord moderates the climate enough that they even grow peaches, walnuts, and apricots here.
East of the village, three power line spans cross the Sognefjorden. The first one, built in 1955, was the longest span in the world until 1997. Today they are still the second, third, and fourth longest in the world.
The area has been settled for at least 4,500 years. According to the sagas, young Harald Fairhair, who would go on to unite Norway, grew up here. The stone church dates from the 13th century.
What you notice today, though, are the fruit trees. More than 80,000 of them, for a population of about 2,250. Leikanger is the biggest fruit village in the Sognefjord area. The municipality's coat of arms is an apple tree branch. The fjord moderates the climate enough that they even grow peaches, walnuts, and apricots here.
East of the village, three power line spans cross the Sognefjorden. The first one, built in 1955, was the longest span in the world until 1997. Today they are still the second, third, and fourth longest in the world.